Purepecha
Purepecha is a Tarascan language spoken in United States and Mexico, by about 175 thousand people. Glottolog rates it shifting.
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Purépecha (autonym: Pʼurhépecha [pʰuˈɽepet͡ʃa] or Phorhé(pecha)), often called Tarascan (Spanish: Tarasco), a term coined by Spanish settlers that can be seen as pejorative to some, is a language isolate or small language family that is spoken by some 140,000 Purépecha in the highlands of Michoacán, Mexico.
Purépecha was the main language of the pre-Columbian Purépecha Empire and became widespread in the region during its heyday in the late post-Classic period. The small town of Purepero got its name from the indigenous people who lived there.
Even though it is spoken within the boundaries of Mesoamerica, Purépecha does not share many of the traits defining the Mesoamerican language area, suggesting that the language is a remnant of an indigenous substrate that existed several thousands of years ago before the migration of speakers that contributed to the formation of the sprachbund, or alternatively is a relatively new arrival to the area.
From Wikipedia · Purépecha language · CC BY-SA 4.0
Written down
Iamendu k'uiripuecha janguarhiparini ka majku jarhati ka jurhimbekuecha jingoni kueraaŋasondikso ka, juajtakuarhisïndiksï ambakiti eratsekua ka kaxumbikua, jatsistiksï eskaksï sesi arhijperaaka.
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR in Unicode).
Words in Purepecha
| Meaning | Word | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| person | kwiripu* | |
| name | hakaNurikwa* | |
| eye | eskwa* | |
| ear | kuc3kwa* | |
| nose | uri* | |
| tooth | s3ni* | |
| tongue | katamba* | |
| hand | haki* | |
| blood | iuriria* | |
| bone | uni* | |
| skin | s3kwiri* | |
| knee | hurinckwa* | |
| breast | icukwa* | |
| liver | tauas3* | |
| water | ic3* | |
| fire | Cupiri* | |
| sun | huriata* | |
| star | hoskwa* | |
| stone | cakapu* | |
| mountain | wata* | |
| tree | a5atapu* | |
| leaf | Ckuri* | |
| night | Curikwa* | |
| dog | uiCu* | |
| fish | kuruCa* | |
| louse | ambus3* | |
| one | ma* | |
| two | cimani* | |
| I | hi* | |
| you | Ca* |
* in the simplified ASJP transcription
Most similar languages
Vocabulary
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- KwambiAtlantic-Congo8% alike
- Southern UzbekTurkic8% alike
- WarrwaNyulnyulan7% alike
Grammar
- MayoUto-Aztecan81% alike
- ShuarChicham81% alike
- Havasupai-Walapai-YavapaiCochimi-Yuman80% alike
- Western Durango NahuatlUto-Aztecan80% alike
- YaquiUto-Aztecan80% alike
- AikanãIsolates80% alike
Vocabulary compares 40 basic words (ASJP); grammar compares 195 features (Grambank). Similar is not always related.
Nearby languages
Elsewhere
Glottolog · pure1242 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · tsz